Fallen Angel
by dreambigwriteoutloud
Summary: What's the point in living if the person you love the most isn't with you? After Patricia's accident Eddie's left by himself with two girls to take care of on his own. One who knows practically everything about her parents, and another who has yet to meet her mom but whom Eddie fears won't be with them for long. Rated T for semi more mature themes but read if you wish.
1. Chapter 1

"Eddie!" the redhead squeaked as she jumped up off of the couch and ran after the blonde who had stolen the book that she had been reading. "Eddie stop it, give it back! No!" It was hard to take her seriously with that pretty smile of hers that the world hardly ever got to see. Not to mention the tiny hints of laughter in between her sentences. Patricia chased the boy around the living room trying to get her book back. However, Eddie was faster, not letting her have it back just yet.

"Come on, Yacker. You've gotta be faster than that if you ever want your book back." Patricia rose an eyebrow at the boy. Something about his words cause her to pause, crossing her arms over her chest and staring him down.

"Is that a challenge, Miller?" the girl questioned. Eddie laughed under his breath behind a smirk. He cocked an eyebrow as well, their eyes locked together.

"You tell me, _Patricia._" She ran at him in an instant hoping to catch him off guard which she almost had done. Unfortunately for Patricia Eddie still managed to slip out of her grasp once again. "Catch me if you can, Yacker. But don't think it'll be that easy."

"Get back here you weasel! I'll get you eventually. Just wait until I get my hands on you Eddie Miller. I swear–" Her words were cut off. Eddie had stopped short, causing Patricia to crash into him and get caught in his arms. Ironically her hands landed on his shoulders trying to stop herself from crashing or falling over.

"Well, looks like you got your hands on me like you said. So, you swear what?" he asked her, looking into her eyes with such intimidating ones of his own. Eyes filled with fire, strength, roughness and yet still manage to have the warmth and passion that makes them so intimidating. Patricia felt herself forgetting everything that she was about to say and found herself instead staring up at the boy in silence, her hands remaining on his shoulders.

"I– I don't remember," she lied. Eddie opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but then closed it. A moment passed with the both of them staring into each other's eyes. Slowly Patricia's hands lowered as well as her gaze from his eyes to his neck and chest. It finally dawned on her how much taller he was than her when she was in flats as she was now.

"Well maybe this will jog your memory." Before, Eddie had had Patricia by the waist. Now his hand moved from his waist to her cheek, pulling her into a kiss. He could hear the gasp come from her mouth just before their lips touched. While they kissed Patricia allowed one of her hands to drop behind her and take the book from Eddie's hand. The dirty blonde broke the kiss, a look of shock worn on his face.

"I told you I'd get it back," Patricia smirked. Eddie couldn't help smiling back at her.

"Oh come on, that wasn't even fair!" the boy complained. Patricia took a slight step back from the American and teased him with the fact that she had won by holding the book in front of his face.

"Who ever said I play fair?" Eddie lunged forward towards her, grabbing her by the waist and spinning her around. This time it was she who was caught off guard. She let out another little squeak as Eddie spun her and practically put her over his shoulder.

"Eddie!" the red haired girl called out between more tiny hints of laughter. "Put me down, I'm serious!" Eddie laughed and spun her around again.

"As you wish, Yacker." Finally he let her down, taking her hands as she stumbled over dizziness for a moment. Patricia wacked him on the arm with her book as payback for that. "Hey, that's my good arm!" Eddie stated.

"Good arm or not, you deserved that, weasel." The playful teasing, nicknames and bickering between them was just something that they had always known. It had been around since the first time they met, even if it wasn't playful at the time and started out as something else. The boy caressed her cheek and softened his voice in response to her.

"On the contrary, I'm not quite sure I did." He leaned into the girl, whispering in her ear and kissing her on the cheek. He would back away and she would give him the slightest smile, cock an eyebrow and walk away just like all the other times.

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't," was the last thing said between the two as Patricia strutted off back to their room where she stayed for a while until he joined her later.

"But what happened after that, Daddy?" a little voice spoke after the story was over. Eddie gave a slight sigh before answering.

"Well Nikki, the rest is a mystery." Of course Eddie knew that this answer wasn't going to work. Nikki Lynn Miller, daughter of Eddie and Patricia Miller was a clever seven year old. She was almost like an exact replica of Eddie -other than the fact that she was a girl- from her looks down to her personality. She talked like him, acted like him, did everything just like him because he was her hero, and nothing was going to change that. She was proud of her father; prouder than any little girl had ever been of their father's. Nikki admired him after everything he went through and his entire life story that she had heard.

Of course she had heard it. Every night Eddie would tell her a story about his past starting from as far back in his childhood as he could remember. Both of them had remarkable memories. A lot of times Nikki would ask for stories about both of her parents, seeing as it wasn't too often that she got to hear about her mother's past. Whether that was because Patricia never got around to telling her or because she couldn't really talk to her mother as much remained a questionable mystery.

"Daddy, please?" Nikki asked so politely. Eddie picked up his daughter and sat her on his lap, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Their eyes met for a moment. They were the same, practically. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing your own eyes staring back at you for the two of them.

"Not right now, Nikki. Later, okay? I promise." Nikki wore a look of slight disappointment on her face, frowning at her father's words.

"But Daddy, it's almost bedtime. Later will be too late." Eddie noted that she had a valid point. He gave it some thought, and finally stood up with her in his arms.

"You're absolutely right, cupcake. Let's get you ready for bed, I'll check on your sister and then I'll come back and tell you some more, okay?" Her frown became a smile as she wrapped her arms around Eddie's neck in a hug.

"Okay Daddy. Daddy?" Eddie hugged Nikki back, her head buried into his chest.

"Yes Nikki?" The little blonde girl pulled away from her father to look him in the eyes once more. She paused before answering. It was so quiet that the wind outside could be heard blowing against the windows and the rustling of leaves on trees could be heard swaying back and forth.

"You always turn my frown upside down." Eddie smiled and laughed, kissing her on the cheek again.

"Same here, cupcake. Let's go up to bed." Eddie carried Nikki upstairs to her room in silence, thinking about things that had been on his mind for a while now. He had to see her; know that she was alright. But even if she was alright he knew she wasn't. She hadn't been alright in over a year. It just wasn't noticeable until a few months ago.

When Eddie let Nikki down he told her to pick out a pair of pajamas while he went to check on Peyton. Peyton Marie Miller was the second child of Patricia and Eddie. Similar to how Nikki looked just like Eddie, Peyton was the same way with Patricia. In a way, she was exactly like Patricia even as an infant, which right now, was the most concerning thing Eddie had ever seen. Peyton wasn't like any other infant. She never cried, hardly ever made any noise at all, wouldn't sleep until it Nikki's bedtime, and was hardly ever hungry. Eddie would hold her and she would have slightly closed eyes, but she wouldn't be sleeping. She would open them at the sound of his voice and look up at him the same way her mother used to do. They were the same; same hair, same eyes, same fair skin and body language. Same everything.

Eddie went next door to check on her. She was lying in her crib as always, eyes slightly closed but never sleeping. He took her from the crib and held her, rocking her a bit. "Peyton," he whispered, and she opened her eyes in response. "You look so much like your mother, Peyton. Hopefully you get to meet her soon. She loves you, you know. She really loves you. And so do I." From his understanding the infant girl could not hear or understand him but what he did not know was that she very well could. He would learn of this, soon enough. Peyton was placed back in her crib after her father gave a kiss on the forehead. Quietly Eddie slipped out of the room and returned to Nikki, who was already curled up in her bed, ready for him when he came.

"Daddy, instead of the story, can you sing for me?" Nikki requested as a surprise. "It's just… I know it hurts some times, talking about Mummy. So, please?" Eddie walked over and sat on the edge of Nikki's bed.

"Of course, Nikki. How about I sing your special lullaby?" The blonde girl nodded. After all, it was her favorite. Her father gave her a smile and combed a hand through her hair before he started the song. "Angel sing a song for me? Sing a song that's fairly new. Angel sing a song for me? Oh Angel; I love you. Angel can you sing of love? Angel sing your song aloud. Angel can you sing of love? Oh Angel; Not a sound. Angel spread your wings and fly. Could I fly with you, tonight? Angel spread your wings and fly. Oh Angel; Shining bright. Angel I can see your face. It's as bright as the night sky. Angel tell me, what's your name? She says it's Nikki; goodnight." Before either of them new it the song was over and Nikki's eyes were closed on the verge of a deep sleep. "Goodnight, Nikki," he whispers before leaving the room.

It was only nine o'clock but it felt like midnight. Eddie sluggishly made his way downstairs to his room, crawling under the covers alone again tonight. How many days has it been? Heck, he lost track a while ago. "Please, bring her back soon."

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**A/N: Hey guys, as you probably know i havent updated or posted in forever, but I came up with this idea and I really hoped you liked it and I'm going to try and start updating more soon. I've just been crazy busy! But please if you liked it, let me know! I love LOVE feedback! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: WHOA... two chapters in one day?! :o madness, haha! So almost every one of you who reviewed has asked "where's Patricia?" well, we're about to find out! Enjoy! x**

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When Eddie woke up, he was surprised to find a body in his bed that was not his own. Sitting up, there was a head of blonde curly locks resting on his chest. Meanwhile, his bedhead stuck out in all directions, the ends of his hair winging out everywhere. He gave a smile at the sleeping girl next to him while running a hand through his hair and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The head against his chest moved and sort of nuzzled into him as if they were waking up but not quite awake yet. Finally they rolled over onto their back and Eddie was looking down into the eyes of Nikki. "Good morning cupcake," Eddie said, his smile widening. Nikki smiled back, rolling onto her belly and crawling up her father's chest so that their faces were only about three inches apart.

"Good morning Daddy."

"Now what would a good little cupcake be doing in my bed this morning, hmm?" Nikki looked down at Eddie's chest thinking about what to answer.

"I'm sorry Daddy," she whispered. "I heard you talking last night; I think you were sleeping. You said you didn't want to be alone, so I came and slept with you, like Mummy. Am I in trouble?" Eddie was touched by Nikki's reasoning. He sat up a bit more, picking Nikki up and sitting her down beside him.

"No, of course you're not in trouble, Nikki. I should start being more careful about my sleep talking. Thank you sweetie." Nikki rested her head against her mother's pillow that had remained untouched since she last used it until last night.

"Daddy, can you tell me what happened to Mum? Please?" The smile on Eddie's face immediately fell. How could he possibly tell her about Patricia? It could –or rather it probably would– devastate her. He had no idea how Nikki would take the news. Considering how he himself took it, not well. Then again he had known Patricia since high school, and Nikki has only had seven years with her. Well, more like six.

"Nikki, honey, I know you want to know about your Mum and you deserve answers, but I don't think you're ready to hear it yet. I'm not even sure if I'm ready to tell it yet." Nikki looked up at Eddie with sympathy in her eyes.

"It's okay. I just really miss her, that's all." Eddie pulled Nikki into his arms and kissed her on the head. Holding her in his arms like that gave him a sort of comfort that he hadn't had in a while. It was nice, and reassuring.

"I do too, sweetie. I miss her more every day. But you know what?" Nikki, who had her face buried in her father's shirt, murmured a 'what?' "Missing her, only means that you love her, and I know she loves you and Peyton more than anything." Nikki mumbled another response that was a little clearer this time.

"That's not true, Daddy. She loves you more." Eddie's lips formed a half smile. Nikki always made him feel better whenever he was upset. He was lucky to have her, and would do anything for her.

"How did I end up with an amazing daughter like you, Nikki? I love you baby. It's early, so why don't you go back to sleep?" Nikki yawned, showing her sleepiness.

"I love you too Daddy. Will you tuck me in?" The blonde man nodded, getting up out of bed and tucking her in so that she was more comfortable. She closed her eyes once more to get a little more sleep. After all, it was only 6:30 in the morning. Eddie went to the kitchen nd picked up the phone.

With the phone in hand Eddie dialed a number he knew very well. Holding it up to his ear the blonde hoped he was making the right choice in this. _Ring… ring... ring… _'Hello?' it finally said. "Dad, it's Eddie, if that wasn't obvious."

"Oh, Edison, what a surprise; and so early! What's the occasion?" _Oh dad… same as always, _Eddie thought to himself. When would he learn that it's Eddie, not Edison?

"I need you to come watch the kids for me. I'm going to visit Patricia today, and I can't have Nikki with me, not yet." Mr. Sweet on the other line seemed concerned with Patricia's state. He agreed to come over and watch the girls in a few hours. "Thanks a lot, Dad. I'll see you then." _Click. _"Now all there is to do is wait."

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Nikki was still sleeping when Eddie's father showed up. "Hey Dad, it's good to see you again. Thanks for coming on short notice," Eddie told him. Eric laughed slightly, giving his son a smile.

"Oh it was really no trouble Edi– Eddie. Still haven't gotten used to that, I'm afraid. Where are the girls?" Eddie ran a hand through his hair and gestured towards upstairs.

"Well, Peyton is in her crib, and Nikki is still sleeping in my room. Listen, Dad, there's something about Peyton you should know. She's not like most infants, as you may know. She doesn't cry. The only noises she really makes are when she's hungry or needs to be changed. Oh, and she doesn't sleep unless Nikki is sleeping." Eric had a look of confusion on his face as he tried to take in all of this information.

"She never sleeps? What does she do all day?" Eddie had grabbed his jacket while his dad continued talking and threw it on, zipping it up.

"Oh, well you can take her into the living room and keep her in her playpen if you'd like. Nikki can always do it too; Peyton's not heavy and Nikki has held her before. Just, don't drop her Dad; whatever you do." Eric nodded at this, making a mental note to remember all of this.

"Oh, yes, right. Of course I won't, Eddie. Anyway, I wish you luck with Patricia, Eddie. I will keep you both in my prayers." Eddie gave his Dad a sort of awkward father/son hug before leaving.

"Thanks Dad. Oh, and when Nikki wakes up, tell her I went out." One last goodbye before Eddie was out the door and on his way to the hospital to visit Patricia. It wasn't a long drive, thankfully. On his way there, things started to clog his memory, making it hard to concentrate. A feeling of guilt showered over him the closer to the hospital he got. The car pulled into the parking lot and Eddie exited the vehicle. He knew exactly where he was going; room 104 on the first floor, go to the main counter first and ask for a visitors pass. They had his name on file.

The doors to the hospital opened when the blonde pushed on them. He headed straight in with no hesitation, but yet no sense of rush. The woman at the counter was the one that Eddie recognized the most, mainly because she was a good friend of theirs. "Hey, Karalyn. Long time no see, huh?" Karalyn laughed a bit, giving Eddie a smile.

"Yeah, long time no see indeed. Here for Patricia?" Eddie's smile kind of faded into a semi sarcastic one. He let out a breath of air, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah. Have you seen her at all?" Karalyn thought for a minute about the last time she had seen Patricia.

"A few days ago, yes. She's doing better as far as her condition goes, but you should really see her. Come on, I'll take you to her room." She put her clipboard down and stepped out from behind the counter. "I know you know the way, but I wanted to update you on her condition." As the two made their way to the room Karalyn filled Eddie in about Patricia's latest conditions. "We're pretty sure now that Patricia can hear everything around her, but she is still unable to speak or move much. Her eyes remain closed as always, but she's improved greatly. I think the seizures have stopped." Once they were there, Karalyn left Eddie alone with Patricia who remained in her hospital bed.

"Patricia," he whispered, walking over to her. "God… look at you." Eddie sat beside her on the edge of her bed. "Patricia, this is all my fault. I know you'd say it wasn't, but if you think about it, it is. I'm so sorry. I miss you, and I just want you to come home." Patricia had suffered from Preeclampsia and eventually Eclampsia. It was a condition that pregnant females could develop that puts them and possibly the baby at great risk. Patricia developed eclampsia when she was pregnant with Peyton, and unfortunately they had not gotten it treated well enough. Since there is no cure for preeclampsia, it was hard to ignore. Luckily, Peyton turned out fine. Patricia however suffered seizures and went into a coma after giving birth to Peyton. Patricia has remained in a coma since, and hasn't even seen Peyton. It's been several months since then.

Patricia had said she had been feeling unusually ill when she was pregnant with Peyton. Eddie always told her it was just the pregnancy, but little did they know that it was actually preeclampsia. The redhead had never blamed him for it after she found out, but he certainly blamed himself, and it was hard to get over; knowing that if he had told her to get it checked out, she might still be with them now instead of in this coma. "Please, get better Patricia. I don't know what I'd do without you. I wish there was something I could do to bring you back. I'm sorry, Patricia. I'm so sorry." Tears began to form in the blonde's eyes. He covered his face with his hands to block the tears. It wasn't any good; the tears kept flowing and eventually he had to leave. "I'll be back, I promise." Eddie said before he got up, also leaving a kiss on the girl's cheek.

Eddie rushed out of the hospital hoping that no one would see him. When he got into his car, he took a moment for himself and just let himself cry. Better to do it there, then go home and break down in tears in front of Nikki and his father. "God… why did it have to be Patricia? I just want her back, so much. Please." The drive home was slow, quiet, and slightly painful. He tried to dry his face one more time before going inside to see his dad and Nikki in the kitchen playing a board game.

"Daddy your back!" Nikki said in excitement as she sprung up from her seat and jumped into Eddie's arms. "Where did you go?" Eddie caught her mid jump and hugged her tightly almost as if he felt that if he let go, he would never see her or hold her again.

"Hey cupcake. I had to go see a friend of mine, but I'm back now."

"Was it a good friend?" the little girl asked out of curiosity. Eddie nodded.

"You could say that. Such a good friend that I'd even say I love them. Nikki, promise me that if you're ever feeling sick, or anything like that, if you feel like something's wrong in your body, tell me right away. I don't care if I'm sleeping and it's two o'clock in the morning, I want you to tell me, okay? Because I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I promise Daddy."


	3. Chapter 3

"Is she alright? Please, let me go see her," Eddie begged the doctor. His panic ratio was so much higher than usual. Right then all he cared about was that Patricia was alright, and alive still. God if anything had happened to her in there… he wouldn't know what to do.

"Alright sir, if you insist. You may go see her, but please sir, be careful. You may not like what you see if you stay too long." Eddie nodded, thanking the doctor. At this point he had a very terrible awful feeling that something wasn't right. He didn't know just what, but there was something. The blonde rushed over to her room, entering and seeing the girl lying down obviously in pain. Due to the fact that the Patricia had developed preeclampsia the doctors had asked Eddie to not be in the room until she gave birth to Peyton. However, worry took over him and he had to see her.

"Patricia? Patricia are you alright?" Eddie rushed over to her, sitting beside her and taking her hand in his. Her eyes were open now, and she seemed okay, just in pain.

"I think so… I just wish they would get this damn thing out of me already." Patricia loved Peyton of course, even though she had never seen her out of her stomach and at this point didn't know the name of the child. She only knew that she was having another girl, but the fact that she had gotten preeclampsia from this pregnancy made her a little more bitter than normal. She had every right to be bitter. Eddie gave her a half smile.

"I know. But look on the bright side, once she's out, everything will get better." Patricia gave the same half smile back at him, squeezing his hand slightly.

"I–" she was cut off by a twitch in her body. Suddenly Patricia found herself unable to speak or have control of her bodily actions. The only sounds she made were unpleasant ones sounding like gasps, moans and screams. Eddie's eyes widened, realization of what was happening taking over his mind.

"Oh my god… she's having a seizure!" The nurse and the doctor both came into the room in a state of rush and urgency. Eddie backed away from the bed, not knowing what to do, say, or even think. All he could focus on was seeing Patricia lying right there, her body twitching and unable to function properly. It sounded as if she was trying to say his name through her murky speech patterns. All that came out was the first letter.

"E– E–" the redhead's shaky arm tried to lift off of the bed as if she was trying to pull Eddie back to her. Eddie just stared at her, his jaw dropped and eyes wider than ever before. He wanted to say something to her. Something; anything to tell her it was going to be okay even though he had no idea if it would. The next thing he could think of was what would happen to their daughter? What would happen if Patricia's seizure didn't stop? What if– the next thing he knew the doctor was telling him that it would be best if he waited outside in the waiting room until they had Patricia under control. His brain was so scattered that he didn't even have a response. The nurse literally had to escort him out of the room he was in such a state of shock.

It wasn't until he was back in the waiting room that it clicked where he was, what had happened, and Patricia's condition just got worse. "No, Patricia!" he called out. The people around him must of thought he was crazy, but he over looked them anyhow. "Patricia… god…" Hours had passed before the nurse came to get him again. "What happened to her? Is she alright?" The nurse avoided his question by talking about the baby.

"Come with me, Eddie, there's a certain little someone that you should meet." Eddie allowed the nurse to lead him to the room that his daughter was in. "Did you guys have any names picked out for a baby girl?" The nurse picked her up and showed her to Eddie.

"Well, Patricia had said really liked the name Peyton, so I think her name will be Peyton Marie," he answered, looking at the beautiful baby girl in the nurse's arms. She held Peyton out to Eddie, and he took her gratefully in his arms, cradling her. "She's not crying," the boy noticed. "Is that bad?" The nurse smiled at him.

"She hasn't cried at all. It's not bad at all, really. A bit more unusual, but we suspect she's different. We don't think she'll ever cry too much. Lucky for you," she added with a laugh. Eddie gave a slight laugh as well that was more of letting out a puff of air.

"I guess so." Peyton had been born with her mother's hair and eyes no doubt. She was just like her. Eddie smiled down at his daughter who's eyes opened the tiniest bit to look back at him. Her tiny fragile like hand reached up and opened so that her palm was facing him, and was placed over Eddie's heart. The blonde gasped under his breath just a bit.

"That's so cute," the nurse said. "She loves you already." There was a moment of silence before she gave Eddie the rest of the news. "Eddie… we're so sorry to tell you, but Patricia's preeclampsia has turned into eclampsia. She's gone into a coma." The smile on the boy's face fell all the way, his jaw dropping.

"What? What do you mean? Is she alright? What's going to happen to her? What if she dies? I can't–" his tone had been getting higher and louder as more panic started taking him over. The nurse did her best to calm him down.

"Eddie, Eddie she's going to be okay. It's nothing serious, I promise. We just have to keep her here and hope for the best. I promise she'll be well taken care of."

That was all Eddie could remember of the day. Now, it was just another distant memory. He went home alone that same day, leaving Peyton in the care of the nurses in the nursery for a few days. Nikki had come home that same day and asked about the baby, so Eddie told her all he could. As for Patricia, he told her that she had gotten very sick, and would be at the hospital for a very long time. It broke his heart not to tell her the truth, but he honestly believed it was best.

It was late in the afternoon the next day after visiting Patricia. Nikki was sprawled out on the floor of the living room with a coloring book next to the playpen in which Peyton had managed to stand up in while using the side to balance herself and keep her up. Eddie was in the kitchen watching the two girls. Peyton's eyes were half closed like usual, and she was smiling. That made Eddie smile too. He made his way over to the both of them, picking Peyton up out of the crib and sitting on the floor beside Nikki with the baby in his lap. "That's a pretty picture, Nikki."

"Thank you. I can draw you one not in a coloring book if you'd like," the girl offered, looking up at her dad.

"Yeah, that would be very nice. Thank you, Nikki Lynn." A giggle came from her mouth as she took a blank piece of paper out and began drawing. While she was busy, Eddie looked down at Peyton in his lap and kissed her on the head.

"I hope you turn out like your Mum as much as you already look like her. I bet you Mum misses you, Peyton. She loves you very much." Peyton's eyes were open now, just like they always were opened when Eddie spoke to her. A few minutes passed while Nikki drew and Eddie busied himself by playing with Peyton on the floor. The phone ringing interrupted that. "Nikki, watch Peyton for a second, will you?" Nikki nodded, turning to face her sister while she continued drawing. "Hello?"

"Eddie? It's Karalyn. There's something you should know; it's Patricia." Hearing her name triggered Eddie's attention. He was suddenly more invested in the phone call if that was even possible.

"What? What is it? Is she okay?" Karalyn tried to calm him down a bit before she continued. Knowing Eddie, he would get worked up too much and it wouldn't be good.

"Yes, she's fine. Well, more than fine, actually. You really need to come see her. I know you were just here the other day but really, you need to see." Eddie went and grabbed his jacket to put it on while on the phone.

"I'll be right over." _Click. _He hung up the phone and went back over to the girls. "Okay girls, looks like we're going to the hospital." Nikki sprung up from the ground faster than you could imagine.

"Will we get to visit Mummy? Please, Daddy, please?" Eddie scooped Peyton up off of the floor and started to get her jacket on her.

"Yes ma'am we are. Get your coat on, Nikki. I'll tell you what happened in the car. You should know before you see her." Nikki nodded, her blonde semi curls bouncing here and there. They were in the car in five minutes tops and Eddie was fastening Peyton into her cars eat while Nikki tried to do her own. "Need some help?" Eddie offered with a smile. Finally it clicked.

"Nope, I got it Daddy." Eddie got into the car with the same smile still on his face. On the ride to the hospital Eddie explained everything to Nikki. He explained the coma, and the preeclampsia, and everything so that she knew exactly what had happened. She frowned at the thought of her Mum in a coma. It sounded like a cross between life and death, which in a way, it was. That sort of scared her, being only seven years old. She didn't show it though. She had to be strong.

Eddie got the girls out of the car and headed inside to the room where Patricia was. She was still frozen like a statue, but this time, her eyes were open. Karalyn was in the room beside her, motioning for Eddie to come in. "Why are her eyes open?" the boy asked.

"That's what I wanted you to see. We never noticed it before, but now we have a theory. Tell me, when I called you, were Peyton's eyes opened?" Eddie thought this was an extremely strange question for her to ask.

"She had just opened them, why?" Karalyn walked closer to him so that they were about a foot apart.

"We think that Peyton and Patricia have a special connection. They both open their eyes at the same time. Peyton never cries, and we think that it's because Patricia can't speak. We think they have more in common than it may seem, Eddie." Nikki slipped out of her father's hand and went to her mother's side. She took a picture out of her pocket and set it on the table beside her. It was a picture of an angel on the ground, with a broken wing. Underneath it read "Fallen Angel".

"So you're telling me that Peyton and Patricia are somehow connected?" Karalyn nodded.

"We also think she can hear everything you say to Peyton, and everything you say when Peyton has her eyes open. We're not sure if she hears anything else. Oh, and there's one more thing. We think we know a way to break the coma, but it's not that easy."

"Well what is it?" Eddie said a little too eagerly. Karalyn had to whisper it to him so quietly so that neither of the children could hear.

"We think we may have to break the connection. It's either Peyton, or Patricia Eddie. One of them may have to die."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So many chapters in 24 hours! I am on a roll today! Thank you so very much for all of the reviews, comments, and whatnot! I promise I will try my hardest to keep updating but I might only be able to do it on weekends BUT I will try! Enjoy plz! x**

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Patricia's POV:

I can hear them talking; arguing about something. I can see them, but they don't know that. No one knows of course because I'm not able to tell them. I see everything Peyton sees; I see through her eyes. Whatever she sees, I see. I can tell her when to go to sleep, which is why she never does until I know that Nikki is in bed. I can hear whatever it is that Nikki hears. Sometimes if I strain hard enough I can even hear through her when her eyes remain closed. I can see Nikki beside me. I can hear her talk to me when the arguing is took out into the hall, and Peyton is left in the room.

"I'm sorry Mummy. Sorry that you ended up this way. I really miss you; Daddy does too. I know he missed you more than me because I can hear him talk about you at night sometimes when he thinks I'm sleeping but I'm really not because I'm worried. I get sad sometimes when I remember you're not at home to say good morning or goodnight. But I know you wish you were. I can hear you, in here." Nikki placed her hand over her heart and I felt a slight ache in my own. At this moment I want to be with her; I want to be there and hold her and tell her I'm alright but we'll just have to wait a little longer before I'm better but I know I can't because of this stupid coma. Being trapped between life or death and knowing that the people around you cry and grieve over your absence and you can't do a damn thing about it because you're frozen like a statue; helpless against the world around you.

"I drew you a picture, Mum. I don't know if you can see it. Daddy says you can't see when you're in a coma, but your eyes are open. The nurse lady says it's because of Peyton. I know you never got to hold her, so you can now." Nikki walks over to her baby sister; my daughter, and picks her up to place her on the bed with me. It was like looking at myself, in a way. I tried my hardest to focus my vision and turn it the other way so that I could get a glimpse of my daughter. That was all I got; a small glimpse, but from that glimpse I knew she was beautiful. I now saw the drawing that Nikki had left me and I'm sure that I would have cried if my body had let me, but no.

I'm trapped in this weird state in which I can't move, speak, or do anything other than hear, think, and sometimes see. I hate it more than anyone can imagine. It's like I'm dead to everyone but myself. I can hear Eddie outside in the hall, shouting, screaming even. I know he cares more than anyone. I want to take his hand and squeeze it like I did before my coma just once to reassure him but of course I can't. Nikki takes Peyton away and I know that I need to look at her not throw my baby's eyes, but through my own. So I try my hardest again and am finally able to switch over to my own vision, seeing Nikki's beaming eyes looking down at mine although I cannot move them to see her more clearly. I desperately wish I could though, as she speaks softly once more.

"I hope you come back soon, Mummy." She kisses me on the cheek just before backing away to sit with Peyton on the floor. I hope so too, Nikki.

* * *

Regular POV:

"You honestly expect me to choose between two people I love more than anything in the world? You're asking me to choose who dies! I can't believe you would think I would answer that! Patricia's my wife, and Peyton isn't even half of a year old! I'm not killing either of them and that's final. I won't stand here and choose and you can't make me. I'd rather kill myself!" Eddie's temper was almost uncontrollable, but how did they expect him to choose? It was appalling! It was sick, and disgusting to have him choose who lives and who dies. Most of all it was too much fucking pressure and he couldn't handle it. He wouldn't ever be able to live with himself if he did. It was out of the question.

"I don't expect you to do it at all," she told him. "I only said maybe, okay? I don't even know if it would work! All I'm saying is if we don't see results of recovery soon this may have to be the default." Eddie was beyond furious and this point, running his hands through his hair and kicking the wall hard.

"I can't choose, okay?" he yelled. "I have to go. I need some time to think." The blonde entered the room once more, picking Peyton up off the ground and calling Nikki to say goodbye. It wasn't until Nikki hesitated to come that Eddie noticed the picture by Patricia's side. "Nikki, did you draw that?" She nodded. "It's beautiful. She would love it, but why did you draw something so sad?" Nikki walked away from her mother and grabbed her father's hand.

"Because she's broken. I thought that maybe if we sang the angel song with different words tonight, they would fix Mummy, and make her not broken anymore." Eddie was truly touched by her words.

"Nikki, you are the best daughter in the world. I'm sure the angels will do everything they can to fix her, cupcake. Come on, let's go home."

* * *

The rest of the night Eddie spent thinking about Patricia and the whole connection thing. He still didn't fully understand it, but he knew that if it was right, Patricia could hear him. He thought about something to say to her all night, and was finally ready when Nikki came downstairs and tugged on his shirt. "Hey, cupcake, ready to sing the angels their song?" Nikki nodded and climbed into her father's lap.

"I have some words too," Nikki told him, showing a paper from her pocket. "Do you think we could use them?" Eddie took a look at the lyrics that were surprisingly amazing. He was actually stunned.

"Definitely," he told her with a smile. He took a look at hers once more before starting the lullaby. "Angels can you hear my cry? I am calling out to you. Angels help me won't you please? I don't want to say goodbye. Angels can you hear my voice? Am I singing loud enough? Angels help me make my choice. Oh angels, it's too tough. Angels here my mother lies. A fallen angel of your own. Angels can you hear my cries? Don't leave me all alone. Angels help me bring her home. Won't you bring her back to me? Angels my heart starts to roam. Bring her back to me, I plead." The song is over and Nikki yawns.

"Do you think it worked, Daddy?" Eddie sighs, kissing her goodnight.

"I really hope so, cupcake. It's getting late, and you have school tomorrow. Head up to bed, Nikki. Goodnight." Nikki did as she was told and left Eddie in the living room by his self. When he was sure that Nikki was in bed, the blonde headed upstairs to Peyton's room, taking her from her crib and sitting with her in the rocking chair. "Hey Peyton," Eddie whispered, her eyes opening like his voice was a trigger. "I hope this actually works…" he mumbled before beginning.

"Patricia, I don't know if you can actually hear me. I guess I'm just desperate to talk to you, even though you can't talk back. I don't know what this connection is, or what it does, or anything about it. I've been told that if you don't wake up soon, I'm going to have to make a horrible decision that I could never make. Even if I did make one, I would never be able to live with myself. I'm just so stressed, and confused, and I miss you so fucking much. You don't know how many times I've woken up and expected everything to be a dream, and see you beside me, still sleeping. Then I realize it's not a dream, and everything was real. I just can't picture life without you, and I need you back. I hope I see you really soon, Trixie. Nikki misses you too. I don't want to keep you any longer than I may have already, so I guess this is goodbye for now."

Eddie set Peyton back down in her crib, her falling straight to sleep after. "It's not really goodbye, after all," Eddie whispered as he left the room to go to bed for the night. There was so much more he wanted to say, but he wasn't even sure if she could indeed hear him. The night was bound to be uncomfortable in slumber, what with thoughts bombarding his mind like that. Nevertheless, he must get some sleep when and if possible. "I think I've made my decision."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am on fire aren't i? Nah i just have no life right now... but I'm really proud of myself for getting all of these chapters done! Oh, and I must inform you that this story is sadly almost over! :C Only a few more chapters left! But, I may do a sequel to this story in the future, so keep those eyes peeled!**

* * *

The pitter patter of small little rain drops could be heard tapping against the window as Nikki's morning waking hour came around. Seven bongs could be heard from the church clock down the street. Her eyes twitched with the feeling of drowsiness still lingering on her lids. Still she remained sleeping through the bongs as if they didn't exist. It was Monday morning now, and she would be going back to school just like every week. They got weekends off, and every Friday was only a half school day, meaning they went to school for only half of the time they originally did. While Nikki slept she dreamt of Angels; angels who had heard their cries and brought her mother back home. The young girl half expected to wake up and see Patricia in the kitchen or sleeping beside Eddie like she had never left.

To her surprise, Eddie had gone up to her room, sat beside her on her bed, and was stroking her hair when she awoke. "Still no Mum?" she asked quietly. Eddie shook his head with a look of sympathy and a bit of disappointment on his face. "Do you think it worked, Daddy? Do you really truly think our song worked?" Eddie exhaled and thought for a minute.

"Of course I believe it worked, cupcake. You just have to give it some time, alright baby? Now how about we get you ready for school? Come on, the shower's waiting for you. I'll go make breakfast." Nikki rolled her sleepy self out of bed, rubbing her eyes and making her way to the bathroom where the shower was indeed waiting for her.

Eddie made sure she got into the shower alright before going downstairs to cook breakfast. Opening the fridge and cabinets he took out everything he needed to make pancakes. Pancakes were always one of his favorite foods, and Nikki's as well. Patricia always said that Nikki and Eddie couldn't possibly be more alike. She was right; she had always been right. Eddie was even the one who picked out Nikki's first and middle name. There wasn't anything that they wouldn't do for each other.

Eddie began to cook the pancakes, thinking about last night. All throughout his slumber Eddie had experienced flashback after flashback. Some were good, others unbearable, causing Eddie to wake in the middle of the night in a state of panic on multiple occasions. He was going to the doctor's office today to see if he had developed PTSD. It wouldn't be a surprise if he had, but he wanted a confirmation.

Nikki came down after her shower and getting dressed just as the last batch of pancakes were being finished. She had picked out her own outfit as usual. Today she was wearing a white dress with tights and her best black dress shoes. Eddie took one look at her and smiled. "Why so fancy today, cupcake?" He helped her into her chair, setting a plate with precut pancakes in front of her.

"It's a thank you to the angels, Daddy. I want them to know that I'm thankful. Maybe they'll see me today and bring Mum back tonight." It impressed him, how much she knew and how smart, and kind she was. If only Patricia were here to see it.

"That's very thoughtful and appreciative of you, Nikki. Hurry up and eat now, or you'll be late." Eddie ruffled her hair a bit and grabbed himself a plate of pancakes to eat before he had to bring Nikki to school. He hoped the angels listened, and will bring Patricia back soon.

* * *

A week had gone by with no sign of improvement or anything from Patricia. At least they knew he wasn't getting worse. Eddie found out that he did indeed have a case of PTSD that was growing larger everyday due to the constant flashbacks and the visions/dreams. The dream from last night was the worst one.

Eddie was standing in the hospital, alone in silence. Everything was dark, and he couldn't see anything. Then, two figures appeared side by side. Both were familiar to him. Patricia and Peyton. There were now two buttons in front of him with their names on them. At first the dream made no sense, but he soon realized that the dream was forcing him to choose. The dream turned into two visions after that, where he chose each of them. They were both harsh to watch.

"I don't know..." Eddie said. "I told you not to make me choose! I can't choose!" The vision had chosen for him, and chose Peyton as the one to live. Next thing he knew Eddie was in the living room with a bawling Nikki in his arms dressed in black, crying her heart out. She screamed and yelled through her cries, calling 'Mummy!' nonstop. Eddie had been crying too, and even little Peyton weeper for her Mum. The other dream, Patricia was spared, but Peyton had died.

There was a lot less screaming in this vision, but a whole lot more tears. "She was just a baby!" Patricia grieved. "I never even got to hold her." Patricia buried her face into Eddie's shirt while he wrapped his arms tightly around her and Nikki clung to his leg. How was he supposed to choose after that?

That wasn't the only thing that he had learned over the week either. He learned also, that if the two were indeed connected, you couldn't kill one of them without killing the other. If they are connected, that would mean that they are both living through one another at the moment, and killing one of them would kill the other in a heartbeat.

After more thought and consideration, Eddie found out that if Peyton were to die, then Patricia would too, no matter what the vision said. If Patricia were to die, Peyton would have a 50/50% chance of living still. The only hope they had now was that Patricia would somehow snap out of her coma on her own.

* * *

It has now been a month since they found out about the connection. Peyton had suddenly gotten terribly ill with something that the doctors could not quite identify. Eddie had taken her to the hospital three times since she told him about it; they said it may have been the flu, but Eddie wasn't so sure. The PTSD had really started to take him over lately, as well as depression. He spent the whole day with Peyton not ever leaving her side although it was hard to look her in the eyes. The hospital called asking about Peyton. "She's still sick."

"Eddie we're going to need to take Peyton to the hospital with us for a while." Eddie did not like the sound of that one bit.

"Why? You can't take her away from me, she's my daughter!"

"We need her to test a theory we have with Patricia, Eddie. Someone will be over to collect her in an hour." His eyes widened.

"An hour?" he screamed. "No! You can't do this, you'll kill her! She isn't even one year old and you want to treat her like a guinea pig? Plus she's sick!" The person on the other line tried to calm him down but it wasn't working.

"It's for the best, Mr. Miller. You do want Patricia back, don't you?" Was this guy crazy?

"Of course, but not at the cost of my daughter! She'll wake up on her own, I know she will. Just wait a little longer, please!"

"Mr. Miller it has been six months. Patricia has been in a coma for six months and has shown no sign of improvement. We believe this is also the reason why Peyton is sick, and this is why we need to take her. She'll be fine, Eddie. One hour." They had hung up before Eddie could say anything else about it.

"Dammit!" he shouted, pounding the wall with his fist. After doing so he regretted it, holding it in his other hand gingerly. "Son of a… Nikki you're going over Grandpa's house. I'll drive you over there now." Nikki came downstairs with a puzzled look.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Eddie picked her up and held her, giving her a kiss.

"Nothing, sweetie. Nothing you need to worry about right now. I just need you out of here today. Go get your jacket on and wait in the car like a good girl while I get Peyton." Nikki did as she was told like always, not questioning a word her father said. She trusted him. Eddie fastened Peyton into her car seat thing and drove the ten minute drive to his father's house. He explained to Eric why he needed to drop Nikki off in a brief get to the point manner. Luckily his dad understood and agreed to watch her. "Be good Nikki. I love you so, so much." H hugged her and held her tightly for possibly the last time before leaving. Eddie headed back to the house where he and Peyton would stay until the hour was up and they would come to take Peyton away for who knows why.

The hour was practically up as the blonde lay on his bed with Peyton lying next to him. "Be a good girl for them, Peyton. I know you'll be okay, and that they'll fix whatever's wrong with you. I'm gonna miss you so much. You're little hands, and your bright blue eyes like your Mum's. I'm gonna miss all of you." Peyton reached up her hand like she did the day she was born and touched it to his heart. A few small tears formed in his eyes. "Yeah, I love you too. And I'm always gonna be with you in there." There was a knock at the door and Eddie knew the hour was up. He got up off of the bed and brought Peyton with him, answering the door.

"Ah, Mr. Miller. Nice to see you're all ready for us. Does she have a bag?" Eddie nodded, and pointed over to the living room, handing Peyton over.

"Bye baby," he whispered to her. "If you'll excuse me, I'd rather not see her go." The man nodded, understanding.

"Of course. I won't be long." Eddie went back to his room, grabbed a bottle from under his bed and unscrewed the cap, pouring its contents into his hand. "Nikki, Peyton, Patricia, I love you guys so much. Forgive me." Into his mouth.

* * *

Back at the hospital a nurse was in the room with Patricia, checking up on her and doing some paper work on Peyton. It was silent, and out of nowhere the silence was broken. A scream.

"EDDIE!"


End file.
